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Jack Wilshere has admitted it was disappointing that Arsenal could not give Arsene Wenger the send-off he deserved by winning the Europa League last season.

The Gunners reached the semi finals and played 80 minutes of the first leg against ten men after Atletico Madrid's Croatian full back Sime Vrsaljko was sent off for two yellow card offences within the first ten minutes.

But Arsenal were unable to take full advantage and could only manage a 1-1 draw, before Atletico won the second leg 1-0 to reach the final. Wilshere believes that the lack of a Plan B proved costly.

"It was a shame we didn’t go on to win the Europa League for him because that would have been a great way to send him off," Wilshere told the Islington Gazette.

"But listen, he’ll go down in history for what he did for Arsenal no matter what he did or didn’t do last year. He will go down as probably the most successful Arsenal manger of all time. He certainly is at the moment.

"I know he went a long time without winning anything but it’s not always the manager’s fault, players have to take some sort of responsibility. What he did with the Invincibles and other teams he built he will always go down as an Arsenal legend.

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"The way Arsene was it was always a case of: ‘If we play our football, we’ll be alright no matter who we were playing'. Sometimes our football didn’t always go right and we struggled with a Plan B in those tough away games."

Wilshere left Arsenal at the end of last season and joined West Ham, although he is currently sidelined with an ankle injury.